ASUS P9X79 Deluxe Boot Issues

D

-Doug-

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Nov 20, 2011
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I sent this in the ASUS support also, but who knows when they'll get back to me, plus it's always good to get a few more opinions on it.

I've been experiencing some issues since I received my ASUS P9X79 Deluxe on Friday, they are pretty odd.

Basically, all the issues have been occurring at boot time. Once the computer is booted up, it runs smooth and stable. However, sometimes when I boot up, the computer refuses to boot. It seems very random. For example, I might turn off my computer, turn it back on, and everything would be fine. Then if I do it again, it won't work. Or another case might be, if I shut it down, restart it, works fine, shut it down again, remove power, put power back, restart, error.

The main errors I've been seeing are the DRAM_LED lighting up, and the segment LED screen saying either "0C" "33" or "00". Also, after a failed boot, the computer might say "Overclocking Failed!" even though I haven't overclocked it. I've tried using the MEM_OK feature, but that didn't fix the issue. The computer just boots sometimes and other times doesn't and I have to play around with it so it boots again. It's very random. I've tried using a number of different settings for my DRAM, including the stock settings, but nothing fixes this issue.

Usually when it fails to boot, it might cycle the power multiple times, or it might not. Or it might just turn off. It's just so random.

Like I said, once the computer is ON, it runs like a champ! I've run prime95 on it for 12+ hours with NO issues. I've also run Memtest86+ for 3+ hours with NO errors. It's just booting that has become a problem.

One interesting fact that might have something to do with it is CPU-Z doesn't display any information about the memory except the size, on the "Memory" tab.

I have an i7 3930k, and this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231501) RAM (G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11Q-16GBZL)
Click to expand...

I also tried swapping the RAM into the other (black) slots instead of the blue slots that they were in. The system wouldn't even boot, and the DRAM_LED just lit, so I had to move them back to the blue slots.

I'm really afraid of ASUS RMA, and want to avoid it if possible. I would be without a gaming computer most likely and given the horror stories I've heard about ASUS taking months only to send back dead boards makes me very afraid lol
 
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I buy a lot Asus to build computer and fix laptops. They been pretty good about their RMA support. Never had a bad experience with them, I think I've sent video card they replaced it within a week.

They decently have one of the best products out in the market. Only real problem I've had is update the bios with there app software which killed my board. They offered a discount to replace the motherboard.

Call them take the chance on a descent company.
 
First of all CPU-Z might not be up to date yet for X79, I think 1.58.x is latest
And overclocking failed does mean memory
I have seen posts like this 100's of times with P67 Z68

Just the usual stuff:
Make sure all rams down on both sides
BCLK set manually to 100.0
Full CMOS reset - PSU Unplugged battery out 1 hr min.
You HAVE to set XMP profile specifically in bios
And that 1.6V is new to me, I would set it at 1.66 just for giggles (slightly over 1.65)
Might try another PSU also
No need to worry, If they say mobo fault on phone, you can crosship your mobo with RMA board with CC# and will get your replacement in a few days no matter what.

Hey where is everyone?
Am I the only one left to answer this stuff?
Even on weekdays?
 
cisco guy said:
First of all CPU-Z might not be up to date yet for X79, I think 1.58.x is latest
And overclocking failed does mean memory
I have seen posts like this 100's of times with P67 Z68

Just the usual stuff:
Make sure all rams down on both sides
BCLK set manually to 100.0
Full CMOS reset - PSU Unplugged battery out 1 hr min.
You HAVE to set XMP profile specifically in bios
And that 1.6V is new to me, I would set it at 1.66 just for giggles (slightly over 1.65)
Might try another PSU also
No need to worry, If they say mobo fault on phone, you can crosship your mobo with RMA board with CC# and will get your replacement in a few days no matter what.

Hey where is everyone?
Am I the only one left to answer this stuff?
Even on weekdays?
Click to expand...

Went through everything on that list, double checked, redid, etc. Nothing. Same issues :( Also, it's a good PSU. Used it with my previous build. 1250W
 
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Are you SURE BCLK stayed stuck at 100.0 BLCK after setting? (CPU Spread Spectrum off) 103 BCLK and 2133 RAM is not a good situation on a new build.
For now, go to easy page and click big square in middle - normal (Energy save on left - Performance - Turbo on right)
Make sure EPU switch and TPU switch are off on mobo - LED not lit.

next step is load 2 sticks only, or even 1 stick according to mobo manual priority.
then 2 sticks of 1333 or 1066 1.5V DDR3 that you had laying around, or borrow from someone, or buy cheapest crap you can find at store

Next thing is PITA, but need to check for bent pins in Zif socket with 3" round 5X magnifying glass in good light, just to be safe. New sockets have 2 latches - right?

Also need to know what HS you bought thats compatible with 2011.

If you wish to go to the trouble, put in a FAT32 USB 2.0 stick and click F12 in bios for ea page screenshot. It will only capture whats showing, so on some pages you may have to do top and bottom.
Then go to tinypic.com and post the lowermost listed result links to .bmp images here.
Do NOT post all the images and waste the HF bandwidth, just the links.

At first glance you have a RAM compatibility prob, or bad stick prob, or bios option prob. Hopefully you dont have a mobo prob. The nasty part about this is if you have repeated probs with a certain mem/setting, bios wont start doing things right again no matter what until you get it to boot fine a few times with lower level HW.

2133 RAM is always suspect, espec on a brand new chipset. Is your RAM on QVL list?
 
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I fear that it is indeed a RAM compatibility issue. The RAM I'm using isn't on the QVL list in the manual, but it is made specifically for X79 boards, as it is part of the Ripjaws Z series.

I checked the ZIF for bent pins carefully before I inserted the CPU. The cooler I use is compatible (H100) and temps are good. EPU and TPU are and have been off. BCLK is indeed set to 100.0 in the BIOS.

I've played around with RAM settings a bit. I tried out doing 1866Mhz with 1.5V and lower timings. It was stable in Memtest and prime95, but that didn't fix any of the boot issues I've been talking about.

Well, now I need to figure out if it's the RAM or the mobo.

As far as bios settings go, the only things changed from default are the ram stuff.

The only other RAM I have laying around is my old OCZ Gold DDR3 1600MHZ 1.65V from my X58 build. Should I give it a try?
 
You didnt say you tried 2 or 1 stick of the Ripjaws
First try set on BIOS APM page, poweron by PCIe (more juice at boot)
Then OCZ definitely - but only 2 sticks
Here what I would do - put in 2 sticks of the OCZ in bios XMP mode - in slots recommended by mobo manual for 2 RAM
The original bios was 11-11 and now a new one 11-17
I would then update bios and recheck with using OCZ
Then return GSkill for Corsair. I am about 90% sure I saw a review for your mobo or the IV Extreme with that RAM and it was a no prob fireup from boot. Will look for it tomorrow.

Just fwiw, 2133 RAM is more troub than its worth on a X79 (or P67 Z68) mobo with on die mem controller. Big numbers in benches - but so what?

Also might mention your 1250W PSU might be fine for 3 VIDcards, but not so good for +5VSB (voltage sure boot) also with 4 sticks of big RAM at boot
 
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I'm gonna head off to bed for tonight. I'll go and try some different RAM configs tomorrow afternoon and see what happens. Poweron by PCIe didn't do anything lol. As far as why I went 2133, it was what was in stock and looked high quality xD, oh well.

Thanks for the advice, hopefully I can get this issue solved before long. I'm thankful that it at least runs stable, and that this is only a intermittent boot issue haha.

Will update with results after I see what happens tomorrow.
 
Alright so, I tried 2 sticks of the G.Skill, same issue. Tried 1 stick, same issue. Tried 1 stick of the OCZ RAM, same issue.

Guess it's between the motherboard and ram incompatibility. Which do I try RMAing (or in the case of the RAM, exchanging) first?
 
Hi,

Which UEFI build are you using?

I would set VCCSA to about 1.10V and VTT to 1.10V also to start with.

-Raja
 
Raja@ASUS said:
Hi,

Which UEFI build are you using?

I would set VCCSA to about 1.10V and VTT to 1.10V also to start with.

-Raja
Click to expand...

BIOS 0802 is what I'm using.

I'll try changing those voltages and see what happens.

Also, ASUS support hasn't been very helpful thus far. Basically they responded and told me to make sure I'm running the RAM at stock settings and if I decide it's the motherboard I should RMA it with Newegg

:confused:
 
Sorry i did not see this thread earlier. I would try the following:

Insert only 1 stick in the first DIMM slot (should say Slot 0 on your MB manual). See if it boots with just the one stick and all default setttings. Repeat using each of your different RAM sticks. If it boots fine, also try rumming Memtest86 on it: http://www.memtest86.com/

Check each RAM stick individually in that first DIMM slot with Memtest. Then if they work, trying putting 1 stick in the first DIMM slot and one stick in the next Blue DIMM slot and running Memtest86 with 2 sticks. Alternate each of the sticks to verify that each pairing works.

Then try 3 sticks...then 4 following the same procedure.

Eventually what should happen is either you find a faulty RAM module in which case the first set of tests should verify (checking each single DIMM) or you find a faulty DIMM slot, which the second set of tests should verify (trying multiple DIMMs).
 
Same issues after changing VTT and VCCSA :(

Ugh it's so weird. I'll turn off the computer, turn it back on, and it will boot fine. I'll turn it off again, turn it back on, and it won't boot, and it'll show me "0C" or something else on the boards LED with DRAM_LED lit up. Then when I turn it back off after it failed to boot and turn it back on, it will say "Overclocking Failed!" and tell me to fix stuff in the bios.
 
NoOther said:
Sorry i did not see this thread earlier. I would try the following:

Insert only 1 stick in the first DIMM slot (should say Slot 0 on your MB manual). See if it boots with just the one stick and all default setttings. Repeat using each of your different RAM sticks. If it boots fine, also try rumming Memtest86 on it: http://www.memtest86.com/

Check each RAM stick individually in that first DIMM slot with Memtest. Then if they work, trying putting 1 stick in the first DIMM slot and one stick in the next Blue DIMM slot and running Memtest86 with 2 sticks. Alternate each of the sticks to verify that each pairing works.

Then try 3 sticks...then 4 following the same procedure.

Eventually what should happen is either you find a faulty RAM module in which case the first set of tests should verify (checking each single DIMM) or you find a faulty DIMM slot, which the second set of tests should verify (trying multiple DIMMs).
Click to expand...

I ran memtest86 for hours with all four sticks inserted. No errors. Is there a point in running memtest on each individually? Also, the booting issues still occur intermittently even with only 1 stick in the correct DIMM slot, or two sticks. I also tried one stick of a separate set of RAM that I know works, same boot issues.

I'm pretty sure it's either:
A. None of the RAM I've tried is compatible with the motherboard OR
B. The motherboard is faulty.

Like I said, once it boots, it runs fine. Prime95 and memtest pass with flying colors. It's just that sometimes it refuses to boot and will give me errors as I stated above.
 
Typically, ff the memory was not compatible it just would not work period. The fact that Memtest runs fine with all of them in makes it a bit strange. Just curious, do you have an SSD drive as your boot drive?
 
Yeah, need to know HDD SSD installed and to which controllers.
Might be SSD flakey detect
Could also be DVD flakey detect - try pulling its data cable and booting a few times
I think you should try factory HSF, that way you will not be on water cool and heat will go up quickly, fan will go on instanly, without radiator. You do know, if the CPU fan isnt showing as on during particular boot sequence - no boot. Timing is critical.
 
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Yeah I have one SSD as my boot drive and two HDDs for storage. I guess I'll try disconnecting them along with the CD drive and see if it affects anything. As far as a stock HSF, I don't have one, SB-E CPUs don't come with any lol.

I'm not very optimistic about it being one of the SATA devices though, given the type of errors that I get.. (DRAM_LED, "Overclocking Failed!", etc)
 
I wouldnt be too quick to judge
You might just get a replace board and same thing - then what?
You are also stingy with info - WHAT SSD are we talking about?
And once again - what port is it on now?
Is the SSD on Intel port 1? (Top SATA 6GB)
Which DVD and how old is it? Should be on Intel port 6 - lowest most SATA 3GB bottom
Do you have unused storage controllers disabled???
For some SSD, port 2 works
For some, only the Marvel port works

I would not RMA the mobo without spending $25 as a last shot
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0
 
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I tried disconnecting all SATA devices and booting. Same issue. So that rules that out then. I guess next thing I'll try will be a traditional HSF as soon as I get it. I'm seriously doubting that it's the HSF though, motherboards usually have specific errors and stuff for CPU HSF/heat issues. Who knows though...
 
Hi Doug,

Downclock the RAM to DDR3-1066 or DDR3-1333 and see if it persists.

What USB devices do you have plugged in and also which PSU?

-Raja
 
Are you running any of the ai suite programs on boot which may be setting bios values resulting in a failed boot the next time...?
 
1) Is the TPU switch in the "On" position by any chance?

2) Save UEFI screens to a flash drive by pressing F12 and upload them here so I can see what the board is defaulting to.
 
Raja@ASUS said:
1) Is the TPU switch in the "On" position by any chance?

2) Save UEFI screens to a flash drive by pressing F12 and upload them here so I can see what the board is defaulting to.
Click to expand...

TPU is off. And do you want me to screenshot it completely defaulted? ie. After pressing F5?
 
Yes please, would like to see if anything is abnormal.

Have you tried loosening the mount on the CPU cooler a little?
 
Doug, can you also PM me the serial number of your board please?

-Raja
 
By the way, I don't know if this is normal or not, but I've never heard the board beep.
 
coupla more things to try:
turn off Q-fan control in bios
on EZ page click on big middle square - "normal", reboot twice
disable USB legacy support, USB 3.0 legacy support
disable anti surge support (fan page)

Your 3.3V 5V voltages in bios are a bit wonky
Can you confirm in some sw?

Edit: your case may not have speaker - did you have a connector for header?
 
Okay, just discovered something interesting. I also posted this on the ASUS forums, but forgot to check them until now. Looks like a guy is having the same issues as me, and they started after he got the same RAM that I have. http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...d=1&model=P9X79+DELUXE&page=1&SLanguage=en-us

The only problem is that I also tried my old OCZ RAM and had the same issues. But maybe the board has the same issues with both sets? I dunno...

I'll try those suggestions in a bit cisco guy, and see what happens.
 
wait for what Raja says - he conferring with ASUS - he would even be able to facilitate a RMA 4U if necessary

since RAM is dirt cheap now, might be a smart move anyways, cant hurt - lol (and this stuff is 1.5V)
still try those things above, just curious, tho based on what the VIP forum said, does appear to be a bios revision in your future
 
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cisco guy said:
wait for what Raja says - he conferring with ASUS - he would even be able to facilitate a RMA 4U if necessary
Click to expand...

Before I get an influx of RMA requests :p

I usually just act as a concierge for problem RMAs, where I get info on an already running RMA that may have taken too long etc. The RMAs are still directed through the normal process.

We will just tag the serial number in this case and see if one of the techs can test the board in-lab and see if they can replicate the issue.

-Raja
 
Raja@ASUS said:
Before I get an influx of RMA requests :p

I usually just act as a concierge for problem RMAs, where I get info on an already running RMA that may have taken too long etc. The RMAs are still directed through the normal process.

We will just tag the serial number in this case and see if one of the techs can test the board in-lab and see if they can replicate the issue.

-Raja
Click to expand...

What do you suggest I do for now?
 
Well, it's been 2 days. Still having the same problems. Any news from ASUS, Raja? The sooner I can get this problem solved, the better.
 
-Doug- said:
Well, it's been 2 days. Still having the same problems. Any news from ASUS, Raja? The sooner I can get this problem solved, the better.
Click to expand...

Hey, I feel your pain, especially after you spent all that moolah. $1100+ just for CPU/mobo w/tx shp

This type problem seems to weave its way around all the SB mobo. I have read the X79 is a 7 layer board, and i believe the Z68 P67 are 5 layer (2 oz copper). Warm boots work, cold dont, sometimes randomly. Gigabytes have endless reboots.The longer the mobo is off (colder) the more likely a problem. Doesnt happen to everyone. Some folks live in cold climates, others warmer. This may sound crazy, but could you use a hair dryer blower to heat all the mobo surface to warm it up good after its been off for a while and see if it still does it? (Bad solder joints)

I dont have problems with my builds - so I can only learn stuff by going on forums. At first glance you have a RAM stability issue, whereby its right on the edge of working. The problem is that the RAM runs fine after getting past post!! Perhaps you have a cell tower or TV transmitter very close to you. Or it may turn out the new 2011 ziff dual lock sockets are flawed. I remember on a prev mobo the socket brand had to be changed to foxconn for reliability.
Then theres the new quad channel part of the CPU die.
This is why computers are such fun.

So please - heat that bitch up
 
cisco guy said:
Hey, I feel your pain, especially after you spent all that moolah. $1100+ just for CPU/mobo w/tx shp

This type problem seems to weave its way around all the SB mobo. I have read the X79 is a 7 layer board, and i believe the Z68 P67 are 5 layer (2 oz copper). Warm boots work, cold dont, sometimes randomly. Gigabytes have endless reboots.The longer the mobo is off (colder) the more likely a problem. Doesnt happen to everyone. Some folks live in cold climates, others warmer. This may sound crazy, but could you use a hair dryer blower to heat all the mobo surface to warm it up good after its been off for a while and see if it still does it? (Bad solder joints)

I dont have problems with my builds - so I can only learn stuff by going on forums. At first glance you have a RAM stability issue, whereby its right on the edge of working. The problem is that the RAM runs fine after getting past post!! Perhaps you have a cell tower or TV transmitter very close to you. Or it may turn out the new 2011 ziff dual lock sockets are flawed. I remember on a prev mobo the socket brand had to be changed to foxconn for reliability.
Then theres the new quad channel part of the CPU die.
This is why computers are such fun.

So please - heat that bitch up
Click to expand...

Haha, thanks for the kind reply. What you're saying does make sense, although I can't say that my problems match that profile exactly.

Reboots (when the computer doesn't completely shut off) work perfectly fine, yes. However, for example, yesterday I shutdown my computer to organize the wires a little bit more, now that I had my 8-pin extension, which allowed me to move the 8pin cable to behind the board. When I finished organizing things and turned it back on, it booted up without a hitch. Keep in mind, it was off for at least 15 mins or so.

A little later, just out of curiosity, I shutdown the computer, then turned it back on about 10 secs later. Didn't work. I got "00" on the board's QLED display, and I had to reset it. Then it did the same thing, displaying "0C" instead. I reset it once more, then it displayed "33", shutoff and turned back on. Then it went back to "0C" and hung. Then I restarted it once more and it finally booted to windows... It didn't even show the "Overclocking Failed!" message that it usually does after having a hard time booting up. It's really that random, and completely irrational. There's barely a pattern of any sort. For example, that "00" QLED message only showed up once before, like the day I built it IIRC.

There have also been instances where I'd shut it down, turn it back on, it worked. Do it again, it worked. Do it again, but this time unplug it and plug it back in while it's off, error. Other times unplugging it doesn't make a difference (ie. when I reorganized the cables).

That said, I'll give the hair dryer trick a go later today and see what happens. Who knows...

Happy Thanksgiving!
 
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